August 1, 2022, Wauchula, Fla.
Beech 35 Bonanza
At about 1100 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its landing gear collapsed following emergency extension after an electrical failure. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.
The pilot later reported the airplane experienced a total loss of electrical power while in cruise. He used the emergency extension handle to lower the landing gear, cranking it “about 40 times, which should be down and locked,” until it stopped. During the subsequent landing, the left main landing gear collapsed and spun the airplane to the left before coming to rest. The left wing and fuselage were damaged.
August 2, 2022, South Haven Charter Township, Mich.
Smith Aerostar 600
The airplane was destroyed at about 1030 Eastern time when it collided with terrain under unknown circumstances. The airline transport pilot and commercial pilot aboard were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.
The commercial pilot purchased the airplane about five years earlier, doing unspecified work on it. This was its first flight under his ownership, which was planned to remain in the traffic pattern for touch-and-go landings. The airplane was reported missing later that day; its wreckage was located the following morning in a heavily wooded area a mile north of the departure airport. All major components of the airplane were found at the accident site. The two propellers remained attached to their engines. The left propeller displayed aft bending while the right one exhibited chordwise scoring and aft bending.
August 3, 2022, Carlsbad, N.M.
Socata TBM 700
At about 1500 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it touched down with its landing gear partially extended. The pilot and two passengers were not injured.
The pilot later stated he felt the airplane was faster than normal on approach, even after reducing the throttle more than expected. On short final, the pilot heard a low tone he was unfamiliar with, which he chose to ignore. The propeller impacted the runway and the airplane settled onto its belly, coming to a stop near the centerline. The landing gear switch was found in the down position, and the main landing gear were partially extended. The pilot did not recall looking at the landing gear indicator lights before touchdown.
August 3, 2022, Cynthiana, Ky.
Piper J3C-65 Cub
The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1725 Eastern time during an attempted landing ahead of an approaching thunderstorm. The passenger sustained fatal injuries and the private pilot was seriously injured.
The flight departed at about 1700. Shortly thereafter, witnesses reported an “intense” thunderstorm approached from the north, accompanied by a rapid wind shift and increase in speed, plus a 15-degree temperature drop. An additional witness observed the airplane return to the airport, flying an “unusually low” traffic pattern. The airplane approached the airport at a low altitude and made a base-to-final turn over the runway numbers before suddenly descending in a left spin and impacting next to the runway. Almost immediately after impact, heavy rain and wind began at the airport.
August 7, 2022, Ellenville, N.Y.
Cessna 150H
At about 0935 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during takeoff when it failed to gain altitude. The commercial pilot/flight instructor sustained minor injuries; the pilot-rated passenger was not injured.
The airplane had just been purchased by the pilot-rated passenger, who sat in the left seat and performed the takeoff with 10 degrees of flaps for “extra lift to get us away from the ground.” The airplane lifted off with about 1000 feet of runway remaining and climbed to about 100 feet agl. At that point, it stopped climbing and the commercial pilot took the controls, looking for a place to land. The stall warning horn sounded, and he lowered the nose to maintain speed. Approaching two sets of power lines, he pitched up to clear the first one, and then cut engine power and raised the flaps. The airplane dropped about 30 feet and crashed onto a roadway.
August 7, 2022, Bardstown, Ky.
Diamond DA40 Diamond Star
The airplane sustained minor damage but a passenger was killed at about 1425 Eastern time when they exited the airplane while the engine was running on the ground. The private pilot and a second passenger were not injured.
According to the pilot, shortly after landing, with light rain in the area, the two passengers decided to switch seats. After taxiing to the ramp and turning the airplane around to face the taxiway, the pilot parked and opened the canopy with the engine still operating. As the pilot attempted to shut down the engine by pulling out the mixture control, the right front seat passenger had already exited the airplane onto the right wing, stepped off and “ran” into the propeller that was still operating, resulting in fatal injuries.
August 9, 2022, Corona, Calif.
Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six
At about 1231 Pacific time, the airplane was substantially damaged in an off-airport landing following engine failure. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.
While entering the downwind leg of the destination airport’s traffic pattern, the engine did not respond when the pilot added power to level off. He cycled the throttle several times with no change. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot force-landed on the eastbound lanes of U.S. highway 91. To avoid a car, the pilot intentionally stalled the airplane, landing hard. The airplane pivoted to its right and impacted a freeway barrier. A post-accident fire ensued.
August 9, 2022, Centennial, Colo.
Cessna 182Q Skylane
The airplane was destroyed at 1250 Mountain time when it collided with terrain, out of fuel, during a reportedly unauthorized flight. The pilot was fatally injured; visual conditions prevailed.
A flight instructor later stated the pilot had completed only 1.2 hours of a required five-hour checkout in the airplane before the accident flight. A witness added that the airplane “did not sound right” and was “sputtering.” At about 150-200 feet agl, the airplane’s nose went down, it lost altitude rapidly and impacted the ground. Examination revealed a nose-low, low-speed impact. There was no fuel in either wing tank. The fuel system header tank contained about ½ pint of fuel. There was no fuel in the fuel lines leading to the engine.
August 10, 2022, Sparta, Mich.
Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee 140
At about 1030 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during an aborted takeoff. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.
The pilot later reported the airplane did not seem to be accelerating after liftoff. She lowered the nose to remain in ground effect, but didn’t think the airplane would clear a line of trees, and decided to reject the takeoff. After touching down, she applied full braking but was unable to stop the airplane before it rolled off the runway and collided with the perimeter fence. The pilot’s pre-flight planning included verifying that weight and balance were within limits and that the airplane had adequate performance for conditions, which included an upsloping runway. Density altitude was calculated to be about 1674 feet.
August 10, 2022, Blyn, Wash.
Cirrus Design SR22
The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1459 Pacific time when it collided with terrain under unknown circumstances. The solo pilot was fatally injured.
Intermittent Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data show the airplane taking off at about 1445, and proceeding mostly in a southerly direction at low altitude. The last ADS-B target was at 1459:19, at an altitude of 1400 feet msl and about about 0.63 miles northeast of the accident site. The debris path extended for about 455 feet. The fuselage came to rest inverted; all major structural components of the airplane were in the debris path.
August 11, 2022, Metz, W.V.
Piper PA-32-301 Saratoga
At about 1805 Eastern time, the airplane was destroyed when it encountered convective weather and apparently broke up in flight. The non-instrument-rate private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured.
The airplane’s ADS-B data show it level at 9500 feet msl and tracking about 070 degrees. Its route was approximately parallel to and south of a band of light/moderate to extreme precipitation extending across Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The pilot was in radar contact with ATC and, at 1801:09, told the controller, “We’re going to deviate about 20 left and see if we can [unintelligible] of this thing.” The controller responded, “Roger. I’m showing the more extreme heavy precipitation just off your left wing there and with the small gap at your 12 o’clock and 5 miles.” At 1801:31, the pilot replied, “Yep, that’s what we’re looking for.” There were no further communications from the airplane.
At the time of the airplane’s final transmission, the ground track had changed to about 050 degrees and it was in an area of light precipitation. The airplane continued on the same track at 9500 feet for six miles, flying through light, moderate, heavy and extreme precipitation. At about 1803, ADS-B data depicted a steep, descending right turn that continued until data was lost. The airplane’s fuselage was located in hilly, wooded terrain. The wings and the tail section were separated from the fuselage and distributed over about 0.8 miles.
August 13, 2022, Hanna City, Ill.
Mooney M20K 231
The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1231 Central time during an engine-out landing on a highway. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured.
The flight departed Santa Fe, N.M., with Peoria, Ill., as its destination. The airplane’s ADS-B data show it climbing to 15,000 feet and proceeding non-stop for almost five hours. When the airplane was about 10 miles west of Peoria, the pilot informed ATC that the engine lost all power and he would not be able to make the airport. The last recorded ADS-B data showed the airplane lined up for a highway at about 675 feet msl. Surveillance videos show the airplane striking powerlines, touching down, impacting a railing and a speed limit sign with its left wing, and then a power pole, which separated the left wing. The rest of the airplane continued until impacting a building. Examination revealed the left-wing fuel tank was breached during the impact and absent of fuel. The right-wing fuel tank remained intact, and only a small amount of fuel was present. The fuel selector was found to be on the right tank. The fuel strainer contained about three ounces of fuel; the fuel line into the fuel flow divider was absent of fuel.
August 13, 2022, Page, Ariz.
Cessna T207A Turbo Stationair 8
At about 1619 Mountain standard time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it was ditched in Lake Powell following an unspecified engine problem. The pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries. Two passengers suffered serious injuries and two other passengers were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the Part 91 air tour flight.
While conducting a scenic air tour over Lake Powell and shortly after making a turn back toward the airport, the accident pilot made a distress call and reported an engine issue. Subsequently, the airplane ditched in the lake and submerged. The airplane was inspected by a remotely operated underwater vehicle, which found it upright at a depth of approximately 100 feet. All major structural components of the airplane were accounted for.
August 20, 2022, Wilder, Idaho
Beech F33A Bonanza
The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1800 Mountain time during a forced landing after engine failure. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.
The pilot and a mechanic had been attempting to resolve an engine problem where the engine would intermittently shudder. After performing various maintenance tasks, they decided to perform a test flight. Engine runup and takeoff were uneventful, and engine instruments indicated nominal values. A short time later, the engine shook violently and stopped producing power. They performed a forced landing to a field, damaging the lower forward fuselage and both wings. Examination revealed a large hole in the upper rear section of the crankcase.
August 21, 2022, Scio, Ore.
Van’s RV-8 Experimental
At 1403 Pacific time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while maneuvering. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured.
Witnesses, including relatives of the pilot, told investigators the pilot would often perform low-altitude flights and aerobatics over their home. They stated the pilot conducted three passes over their home before the accident. During the third pass, the airplane flew at about 100 feet agl from north to south, and then rolled like a barrel roll, descending out of sight behind trees and impacting the ground. Video of the final portion of the accident pass shows the airplane in a nose-up attitude through distant trees, then descending to the ground in about a 45-degree nose-down attitude. The airplane engine was heard throughout the flight.
August 27, 2022, French Lick, Ind.
Beech B35 Bonanza
The airplane was destroyed at about 2058 Eastern time during an attempted landing. The solo airline transport pilot was fatally injured. Night visual conditions prevailed.
Airport surveillance video captured the airplane touching down on and then departing the runway to the left before becoming airborne and impacting trees just outside of the perimeter fence. Witness marks on the runway showed the left main wheel touched down 1036 feet beyond the 5500-foot-long runway’s threshold. Then, 29 feet later, the nose and right main gear touched down, remaining on the runway for 165 feet until the airplane exited the runway onto the grass. Grass witness marks extended 109 feet before the airplane became airborne and subsequently impacted trees north of the perimeter fence. A post-impact fire ensued.
August 31, 2022, Houghton Lake, Mich.
Beech A36 Bonanza
At about 1640 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain. The pilot and passenger were not injured.
The airplane’s ADS-B data show it departed a nearby airport at about 1617 and proceeded to the south-southeast, reaching about 9800 feet msl before entering a gradual descent. At about 1633, the airplane turned to an easterly heading, and the descent continued until the end of the available data. The final ADS-B data was recorded at 1639, 1700 feet msl.
The airplane came to rest in an open marsh area. All components forward of the firewall were separated from the fuselage. The remainder of the fuselage, including the cockpit area, appeared intact. The outboard portion of both wings and the inboard portion of the right wing were deformed.
